PHILADELPHIA — A quick-moving storm brought several inches of snow as well as rare “thundersnow” to parts of the winter-weary East Coast, prompting speed restrictions on Pennsylvania highways on Tuesday, days after the Southeast and Northeast were paralyzed with heavy snow, ice and massive power outages.By midday, the National Weather Service said parts of western Pennsylvania got about 6 inches of snow, with 3 inches falling at Philadelphia International Airport and 2 inches outside New York City.
The storm also brought “thundersnow,” an area of heavy snow with embedded thunder, to Pittsburgh and the area northeast of the city.
The storm led Pennsylvania Turnpike officials to reduce speed limits to 45 mph along the entire 360-mile highway system. Speed limits were later lifted on most of the system except for the portion outside of Philadelphia where a series of crashes last week injured 30 people and left cars stranded for hours. Transportation officials imposed, but later lifted, speed limits on some interstates and other roads.
Forecasters predicted many East Coast states would see 3 to 6 inches of snow on Tuesday after the storm moved in overnight from the Great Lakes and through the Mid-Atlantic. The storm was timed to hit the Boston area around the evening rush hour, and southern New Hampshire was forecast to get up to 8 inches of snow.